Here you can browse the Written Questions for answer on Wednesday 16 October 2002, of which previous notice has been given in the Notices of Questions paper. They are arranged in alphabetical order of answering Department.

Notes:* Indicates a Question for Oral Answer.+ Indicates a Question not included in the random selection process but accepted because the quota for that day had not been filled.[N] Indicates a Question for Written Answer on a named day, i.e. the Member has indicated under S.O. No. 22(4) the day on which he wishes the Question to be answered.[R] Indicates that a relevant interest has been declared.

WEDNESDAY 16th OCTOBER

1

Mr Jonathan Djanogly (Huntingdon): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, when he will decide on the Planning Inspectorate's Report concerning the proposed development at Alconbury Airfield, Cambridgeshire.

(74834)

2

Ms Oona King (Bethnal Green & Bow): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will place a copy of the research commissioned by his Department by the universities of Bristol and Birmingham into the impact of the February 1999 changes to the limits on right to buy discounts in the Library.

(74821)

3 N

Mr Eddie McGrady (South Down): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what action he will take to improve the salary and conditions of service of local government staff; and if he will make a statement.

(71948)

4

Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, which elements of the local government funding formula are based on data derived from the Census; and what are, for each of the main local government spending blocks that use such data, (a) the latest sub-population estimate used for South Gloucestershire Unitary Authority in the most recent settlement and (b) the corresponding estimate from the 2001 census.

(74850)

5

Derek Wyatt (Sittingbourne & Sheppey): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what plans his Department has to increase the number of new houses with solar tiles; and if he will make a statement.

(74837)

6 N

Mr Graham Brady (Altrincham & Sale West): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make a statement on the BBC curriculum online proposal; and when she expects to reach a decision on the proposal.

(74314)

7 N

Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what changes she proposes to the working of the concessionary scheme so that eligibility for concessionary TV licences is not lost when someone under 60 years moves into the beneficiary's sheltered housing.

(74538)

8 N

Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many representations from (a) members of the public, (b) charities and (c) honourable Members she has received regarding sheltered housing schemes being charged for a television licence because a resident is under 60; and if she will make a statement.

(74540)

9 N

Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when the proposals she has to change the working of the concessionary scheme so that eligibility for concessionary TV licences is not lost when someone under 60 moves into the beneficiary's sheltered housing will be published.

(74539)

10

Stephen Hesford (Wirral West): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what plans she has to widen participation in higher education.

(74820)

11 N

Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate how many excess winter deaths occurred in 2001-02, broken down by (a) English region, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Great Britain by age band; and if he will provide corresponding estimates for each of the last five years.

(74536)

12

Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff are employed by the Inland Revenue to work on anti-fraud measures in respect of the working families tax credit; and what plans he has to take on additional staff for anti-fraud work in respect of his new system of tax credits.

(74852)

13 N

Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what level the fines for (a) social services and (b) NHS trusts will be for (i) emergency readmissions and (ii) delayed discharges; and if he will make a statement.

(74535)

14 N

Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the delays in Criminal Records Bureau checks on (a) social workers, (b) other social care staff and (c) voluntary health organisations working with children; and if he will make a statement.

(74537)

15 N

Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will estimate the number and percentage of (a) recruitment agencies and (b) overseas nurses that are part of the ethical nurse recruitment code of practice.

(74321)

16 N

Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his Answer of 20th May, Official Report, column 148W, on mental health, if he will list the additional financial resources that are planned for the appointment of mental health workers for the next year; and if he will make a statement.

(74712)

17 N

Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many residential child care staff were qualified at GNVQ level 3 by March; and how many still needed to be qualified to NVQ level 3 as per the requirement set out in The Government's Objectives for Children's Social Services.

(74531)

18 N

Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many employees were working in (a) social services departments, (b) residential care, (c) domiciliary care and (d) intermediate care in each of the last five years.

(74533)

19 N

Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many graduate primary care mental health workers trained in brief therapy techniques, as outlined in the NHS Plan have been employed in each of the last years; and if he will make a statement.

(74541)

20 N

Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will place copies of the Quarter 2 delayed discharge and emergency readmission figures in the Library.

(74543)

21 N

Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many statistical tables requested by honourable Members in parliamentary questions have been placed in the Library and not been published in the Official Report in the last five years.

(74545)

22 N

Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many CAMHS in-patient beds were provided in each year since 1997 (a) in total, (b) in England and (c) in each local authority; how many are planned to be provided in the next two years; and if he will make a satement.

(74315)

23 N

Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the (a) amount and (b) proportion of mental health expenditure has been on child and adolescent services for each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement on his assessment of the adequacy of this expenditure.

(74316)

24 N

Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will list the (a) former members of and (b) new appointees to the Older People's Taskforce; and if he will make a statement.

(74317)

25 N

Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what procedures are in place to ensure that overseas-recruited (a) health workers and (b) social workers who are working with children have not been convicted of an offence that relates to crimes against children.

(74318)

26 N

Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, at what intervals nurse recruitment agencies which have signed up to the ethical foreign nurse recruitment campaign will be reviewed.

(74320)

27 N

Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his Answer of 15th July, Official Report, column 129W, on CAMHS innovation projects, what the publication date is for the overview report of the CAMHS innovation plan; and if he will make a statement on its launch at the national conference.

(74610)

28 N

Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what measures he is putting in place to compensate care homes which have already complied with the national minimum standards on room sizes.

(74530)

29 N

Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to issue a code of practice for social services departments recruiting social workers from other countries; and if he will make a statement.

(74532)

30 N

Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on the change in the requirements of the national minimum standard on room sizes for care homes.

(74534)

31

Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what transitional funding arrangements will be in place for the Public Health Laboratory Service during its reorganization.

(74809)

32

Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the likely (a) short-term and (b) long-term impact on (i) research and development and (ii) professional training of medical and scientific experts of the proposals to reorganise the Public Health Laboratory Service; and if he will make a statement.

(74813)

33

Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what international comparators and experiences have been examined in the process of deciding how to reorganise the Public Health Laboratory Service.

(74817)

34

Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations he has received from (a) Public Health Laboratory Service Management and (b) trades unions concerning (i) the transfer of local public health laboratories from Public Health Laboratory Service central organisation to hospital trusts and (ii) the timing of implementation of the transfer; and if he will make a statement.

(74807)

35

Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, where the headquarters of the new Health Protection Agency will be located.

(74811)

36

Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of his Department's ability to counter the risks and effects of bioterrorism (a) with the existing Public Health Laboratory Service arrangements, (b) after completion of the reorganisation of the Public Health Laboratory Service and (c) during the transitional period whilst new arrangements settle down; and if he will make a statement.

(74815)

37

Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what arrangements will be in place to require local laboratories (a) to report to and (b) respond to requests from the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre after reorganisation of the service to create the Health Protection Agency; and if he will make a statement.

(74819)

38

Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what arrangements will be put in place to require local public health laboratories to respond to requests for information and samples from the central Public Health Laboratory Service after reorganisation; and if he will make a statement.

(74810)

39

Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what arrangements will be made, and for how long, to ring fence public health laboratory budgets when the service is reorganised to the management of local hospital trusts.

(74814)

40

Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how consultants in communicable disease control will be managed after completion of the work of the Health Protection Agency; and if he will make a statement.

(74818)

41

Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to visit Public Health Laboratory Service, Colindale.

(74808)

42

Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the impact on the National Vaccination Campaign of the proposals to reorganize the Public Health Laboratory Service; and if he will make a statement.

(74812)

43

Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what arrangements he has made to consult trade unions and professional bodies over the reorganisation of Public Health Laboratory Service.

(74816)

44 N

Mr Greg Knight (East Yorkshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will introduce a ban on smoking in hospitals and in hospital grounds.

(71683)

45 N

Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) appeals and (b) overturned Criminal Records Bureau checks for each local authority for (i) social workers and (ii) voluntary organisations who work with children there were in each of the last 12 months.

(74852)

46 N

Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what procedures are in place to ensure that overseas-recruited (a) health workers and (b) social workers who are working with children have not been convicted of an offence that relates to crimes against children.

(74319)

47 N

Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications (a) were processed by and (b) were outstanding with the Criminal Records Bureau for each local authority for (i) social workers and (ii) voluntary organisations who work with children for each of the last 12 months.

(74544)

48 N

Annabelle Ewing (Perth): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what co-ordination he has undertaken of departments' assessment of the implications of the entitlement card proposals for the devolved powers of the Scottish Parliament.

(71964)

49

Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the implications for crime rates of the phased reduction in use by the Department of Work and Pensions of payment by giro order book.

(74851)

50

Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will estimate the proportion of people in each region who are served by (a) broadband-enabled telephone exchanges, (b) cabled-based broadband services and (c) either of the above; and if she will estimate the numbers in each category who make use of that facility.

(74849)

51

Mr Jonathan Djanogly (Huntingdon): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, what the forecast regularity of flights is in (a) 2015 and (b) 2030 in connection with the proposals relating to Alconbury airfield contained in the Department's Consultation, The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom: South East.

(74830)

52

Mr Jonathan Djanogly (Huntingdon): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, when the consultation findings are to be made public so far as they relate to Alconbury airfield; what further procedures and consultation will take place; and when.

(74829)

53

Mr Jonathan Djanogly (Huntingdon): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, what areas and how many people will be exposed to different amounts of aircraft noise (a) at night in (i) 2015 and (ii) 2030 and (b) in 2030 based on an average six hour day in connection with the proposals relating to Alconbury airfield contained in the Department's Consultation, The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom: South East.

(74822)

54

Mr Jonathan Djanogly (Huntingdon): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, to what extent local residents will be entitled to compensation; what the qualifications or compensation will be; how the level of compensation will be assessed; and who will pay such compensation in connection with the proposals relating to Alconbury airfield contained in the Department's Consultation, The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom: South East.

(74836)

55

Mr Jonathan Djanogly (Huntingdon): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, what types of aeroplanes will be capable of using the proposed airport at Alconbury.

(74826)

56

Mr Jonathan Djanogly (Huntingdon): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, whether the passenger terminal at Alconbury airfield will be built to accommodate the maximum capacity of five million passengers from the outset of operation.

(74825)

57

Mr Jonathan Djanogly (Huntingdon): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, what impact the ADL Planning Inspectorate Report will have on the proposals relating to Alconbury airfield contained in the Department's Consultation, The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom: South East.

(74833)

58

Mr Jonathan Djanogly (Huntingdon): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, what plans he has to review the CHUMMS proposals with regard to airport traffic (a) in connection with Huntingdon to Cambridge public transport and (b) in connection with proposed changes to the A14; and what estimate he has made of the increase in use of the A1 in connection with the proposals relating to Alconbury airfield contained in the Department's Consultation, The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom: South East.

(74832)

59

Mr Jonathan Djanogly (Huntingdon): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, how many jobs are forecast (a) by 2011 and (b) by 2012 in connection with the proposals relating to Alconbury airfield contained in the Department's Consultation, The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom: South East.

(74823)

60

Mr Jonathan Djanogly (Huntingdon): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, what assessment he has made of the probability of water flooding in connection with the proposals relating to Alconbury airfield contained in the Department's Consultation, The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom: South East; and what contingency plans he will put in place to deal with this.

(74831)

61

Mr Jonathan Djanogly (Huntingdon): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, what the Government's policy is on permitting an airport to proceed on the basis of (a) only passenger flights but no freight flights and (b) only freight flights and no passenger flights in connection with the proposals relating to Alconbury airfield contained in the Department's Consultation, The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom: South East.

(74824)

62

Mr Jonathan Djanogly (Huntingdon): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, what indication of interest the Government has received from (a) (i) air passenger companies and (ii) freight carriers to use and (b) airport operating companies to operate Alconbury airport.

(74835)

63

Mr Jonathan Djanogly (Huntingdon): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, to what extent the completion of the proposals relating to Alconbury airfield contained in the Department's Consultation, The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom: South East, is reliant on the expansion of existing airports.

(74828)

64

Mr Jonathan Djanogly (Huntingdon): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, to what extent airports have powers to restrict aircraft use by reference to engine noise levels.

(74827)

65 N

Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to implement the recommendations of the Regional Implementation Strategy for the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing 2002, adopted by EU ministers on 13th September.

(74322)

66 N

Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his Answer on 17th June, Official Report, column 97W, on the New Deal 50 plus programme, how far his Department has extended its use of the New Deal 50 plus programme to support its staff recruitment; and if he will make a statement.

(74546)

67 N

Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish an action plan to take forward the recommendations of the Regional Implementation Strategy for the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing 2002, adopted by EU ministers on 13th September.

(74323)

68

Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will undertake simulation modelling of the distributional impact of his policies taking account of predicted levels and patterns of non take-up of entitlement to benefits; and if he will make a statement.

(74840)

69

Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff are employed by Jobcentre Plus on anti-fraud work; and how many people were employed in total on this work in the two predecessor departments.

(74846)

70

Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate the rate of staff turnover in each of the last three years in (a) benefit fraud inspection work and (b) his Department as a whole.

(74847)

71

Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many referrals for suspected benefit fraud were generated by his most recent television advertising campaign; and what proportion of these resulted in (a) a full investigation and (b) successful prosecution or other penalty.

(74848)

72

Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much is paid to a postmaster who reports a case of suspected benefit fraud; and what plans he has to increase this amount.

(74845)

73

Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will update his estimates of gainers and losers from his proposed reforms to child support.

(74842)

74

Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, and if he will provide a breakdown of the estimates in 'Opportunity for All' of the proportion of men and women who contributed to a non state pension in recent groups of years by income band.

(74841)

75

Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average time taken by his Department's Operational Intelligence Unit to respond to requests from local benefit fraud inspectors to requests for data in suspected fraud cases under the terms of the Social Security Fraud Act has been.

(74843)

76

Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate the additional weekly amount of state second pension accrued at current rates by a person who undertakes one year of full-time caring responsibilities and is in receipt of invalid care allowance.

(74839)

77 N

Mr Greg Knight (East Yorkshire): To ask the Cabinet Office, if he will issue guidance to Government departments requiring them to keep records of every decision taken using the Royal Prerogative and to place such records in the Library every 12 months.

(71682)

78 N

Margaret Moran (Luton South): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what measures he intends to take to bring empty private sector houses back into use.

[Question Unstarred](71969)

79

Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reason the claim form of working families tax credit does not ask if claimants are currently receiving income support; and what plans he has to include this question in future versions of the form.

[Transferred](74844)

80

Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer in what form the balance of the National Insurance Fund is held.